Public Works & Transporation Committee Meeting Minutes - May 24, 2001

Date:

Thursday, May 24^th, 2001

Place:

Anderson Room
Richmond City Hall

Present:

Councillor Lyn Greenhill, Chair
Mayor Greg Halsey-Brandt
Councillor Kiichi Kumagai

Absent:

Councillor Ken Johnston, Vice-Chair
Councillor Derek Dang

Also Present:

Councillor Linda Barnes (4:07 p.m.)

Call to Order:

The Chair called the meeting to order at 4:00 p.m.

It was moved and seconded

That the minutes of the meeting of the Public Works & Transportation Committee held on Wednesday, March 21^st, 2001, be adopted as circulated.

CARRIED

FRASER BASIN COUNCIL REGARDING THE FRASER RIVER DEBRIS TRAP

Mr. Bob Purdy (Regional Coordinator for the Greater Vancouver Squamish Pemberton Region) representing the Fraser Basin Council, addressed the Committee on the Fraser River Debris Trap.

The presentation did not take place as Mr. Purdy was unable to attend the meeting.

PROPOSED TRAFFIC CALMING MEASURE ON NO. 1 ROAD AND FRANCIS ROAD LANEWAY BETWEEN FRANCIS ROAD AND OSMOND AVENUE
(Report: Apr. 23/01, File No.: 6450-09) (REDMS No. 361483)

It was moved and seconded

That portable speed humps be introduced on a one-year trial basis to address short-cutting and speeding concerns along the No. 1 Road laneway connecting Osmond Avenue and Francis Road.

That the funding source for the proposed improvements be the 2001 Minor Capital Program for Traffic Calming Improvements.

That area residents be advised of the installation of the temporary portable speed humps on a one-year trial basis.

That staff report to Council after the one-year trial period on the effectiveness of the speed humps.

Prior to the question on the motion being called, Senior Transportation Engineer, Victor Wei, advised in response to questions, that (i) the portable speed humps would be constructed of recycled rubber tires, and (ii) these humps were modular in form, comprised of three separate pieces - two ramps and a middle section, which would form the hump.

The question on the motion was then called, and it was CARRIED.

FOLLOW-UP REPORT ON PROPOSED TRAFFIC CIRCLE AT HEATHER STREET AND DAYTON AVENUE - RESULTS OF PUBLIC CONSULTATION
(Report: May 7/01, File No.: 6450-09) (REDMS No. 381629, 251778, 369626)

Mr. Wei reviewed the report with the Committee. In response to questions, he advised that:

the sidewalk would be slightly wider because of the widening of the shoulder of the road

the curb would be constructed of concrete mounted on top of the asphalt roadway

the proposed traffic circle would mirror the traffic circle constructed on Seafair Drive

it was the intention of staff to trim the trees and bushes located at the south-east corner of Heather Street and Dayton Avenue.

It was moved and seconded

That the following traffic and pedestrian safety measures (as described in the report dated May 7^th, 2001, from the Manager, Transportation), be approved, with the source of funding to be the 2001 Minor Capital Program for Traffic Calming:

installation of a traffic circle at the intersection of Heather Street and Dayton Avenue at an estimated cost of $5,400;

construction of a pedestrian walkway with extruded curb on the west side of Heather Street between Dixon Avenue and Dolphin Avenue at an estimated cost of $26,300; and

minor modifications to the Dixon Avenue driveway to the Garden City Shopping Centre to improve sightlines.

That area residents be advised of the results of the neighbourhood survey and the pending construction of the traffic and pedestrian safety improvements.

That staff monitor traffic conditions in the Heather Street area for a period of one year after installation of the various measures, and report to Council on the effectiveness of the traffic calming measures in addressing the issues of excessive travel speed and short-cutting.

CARRIED

T.1526 - ASPHALTIC CONCRETE PAVING (2001)
(Report: May 4/01, File No.: 0775-20-T.1526) (REDMS No. 363801)

It was moved and seconded

That the City enter into a contract with Columbia Bitulithic Ltd. in accordance with T.1526 Asphaltic Concrete Paving (2001) in the total tendered amount of $1,568,579.25 + GST.

(Councillor Barnes entered the meeting at 4:07 p.m.)

Prior to the question being called on the motion, the Manager, Roads & Construction Services, Tony Hillan, in response to questions, advised that (i) City staff would be consulting with the successful tenderer to establish a schedule of paving; and (ii) much of the work on No. 3 Road would be done during the evening. At the request of the Chair, Mr. Hillan indicated that staff would review the feasibility of completing the work in the 10,000 block of Steveston Highway in the evening.

The question on the motion was then called, and it was CARRIED.

At this point in the meeting, the Chair welcomed the new General Manager, Engineering & Public Works, Jeff Day to the meeting.

MANAGER’S REPORT

The Manager, Engineering Design & Construction, Steve Ono, reported that the proposed open house on planned road, sewer and engineering capital projects would be held at City Hall from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. on June 21^st, 2001. He added that invitations would be sent to all property owners directly affected by the projects.

Mayor Halsey-Brandt raised questions about whether any flooding might occur as a result of the Spring run-off. Advice was given by the Acting Director of Operations, Dave Semple, that because of the level of the snowpack in the interior of British Columbia, staff were of the opinion that high water levels would not be a problem for the City. Further advice was given that staff were monitoring the situation on a daily basis.

Mr. Hillan referred to the initiative "Slips, Trips and Falls" and advised that staff were working with the Seniors to prepare a strategy to address these issues.

Mr. Day advised that discussions had been held with representatives of the Greater Vancouver Water District regarding the quality of the regional water supply systems. He advised that because of the problems being experienced in Eastern Canada and the recent implementation of a new Water Health Act, which significantly reduced turbidity levels, the GVWD was considering the acceleration of improvements to the water supply system, which could result in an increase in water rates of $25 a household in 2002.

Councillor Kumagai commented further on the financial costs and capital projects faced by the GVWD to improve the water system.

The Mayor questioned the status of the City’s application for infrastructure grants, and in response, advice was given by Mr. Day that the City would not know until the end of the summer if any of the grant applications had been successful.

Councillor Kumagai provided information on the possible funding of the proposed extension of Garden City Road through to Bridgeport Road as part of the major road network, from TransLink.

It was moved and seconded

That the meeting adjourn (4:19 p.m.).

CARRIED

Certified a true and correct copy of the Minutes of the meeting of the Public Works & Transportation Committee of the Council of the City of Richmond held on Thursday, May 24^th, 2001.

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Councillor Lyn Greenhill
Chair

Fran J. Ashton
Executive Assistant